Free Must Wait by Ginger Sharp

putting her arm around me
as she snuggles into me. I trace patterns on her back,
trying to remember if I held Cyntia like this. I couldn’t
recall a time. It was like Katie clogged up my memories of
Cyntia. I turn my head and kiss Katie’s forehead one last
time before I fall asleep.
    I roll over and cover my head with my pillow, trying
to drown out the banging. I hear Katie groan as she rolls
in to my back. I push up off the bed to see who is
banging at the door. I pull on my soiled boxer shorts and
run for the front door. I open the door seeing Olivia
standing in front of me.
    Her eyes make her way down my body, then she
stares up at me as she whispers. “Pedro, you didn’t?”
I shake my head. “No, Olivia.”
Katie runs up behind me, stepping past me with a
towel wrapped around her. Olivia’s eye bulge at the sight
of her.
Katie nudges me. “Pedro, it is okay. Mommy, I am
an adult. You know that. Pedro and I were just having
some fun.”
Olivia shakes her head. “Katie, I am not sure about
this. Your father is going to kill me.”
Katie laughs. “No, he will never know. Plus, it is not
like we had intercourse. We are just messing around.”
Olivia looks up at me. “Pedro, I sure hope you feel
the same way. Just messing around and all.”
All I can do is nod.
“Mommy, Pedro understands that I am going back
to school. He gets it.”
Olivia shakes her head. “Katie, I can see it already on
his face. He is going to be devastated when you return
home. Your father is going to kill me. You were on my
watch.”
Katie’s face turns red. “Mom, Pedro is not the first
man I made out with. There has been many. I am still a
virgin, Mom. I like to have some fun, you know. Daddy is
far from here and he will never know. Also, I do not give
a shit if he does find out. Daddy does not control me like
he did you. If he does come after you, Parker, Pedro and
his brothers will protect you. Mommy, you need to move
on and be happy. Parker likes you very much. Just give
him a chance.”
Olivia’s eyes shift down and I can see the pain in her
face.
Katie sees it too. “Mommy, listen to me. Daddy is
not sitting around all lonely like you are. He is out with
his hockey buddies and it is only a matter of time before
he meets someone unless he already has. Please stop. You
have yummy Parker drooling over you. Right, Pedro?”
Katie stares up at me waiting for me to answer.
I nod my head. “Yes, Parker has liked you the
moment he saw you Olivia.”
Olivia stares up at me, shaking her head.
Katie touches her mother’s shoulder. “Move on,
Mommy, please.”
Olivia steps back. “I will leave you two now. I have
to get to work and please do not forget about Noelia at
the house Katie.” Olivia turns away walking back to her
truck. I close the door, thinking about what Olivia just
said about Katie breaking my heart. I know she is right,
but I will love her while she is here.
Katie turns to me. “That went well.”
I shake my head. “It is evident she is hurting Katie.
She loves your father. It is written all over her.”
She looks up at me. “She needs to move on. Just like how
you finally realized. She better not wait around for years
like you did. She is not getting any younger.”
I glare at Katie. “That is very harsh.”
She drops her towel. “Come play with me, Pedro,
then you have to drive me to a phone signal again.”
I follow her into the bedroom ready for her once
again.
CHAPTER 6
    I drive Katie up the hillside so she can make another
phone call. I glance over at her and she is nervously biting
her fingernails.
“Katie, what is wrong?”
    She looks over at me. “I am calling my father. This
has to end once and for all. She needs to be free from
him.”
I tilt my head. “Okay. If you think so.”
    She waves her hand for me to stop the truck. I turn
off the truck watching her look at her phone.
She looks over at me. “I have three missed calls and
two voicemails.”
She plays her voicemail out loud on the